How Dare You!
by Tatty.Teddy90
Summary: When Katherine is attacked, it sets in motion a chain of events that none could have foreseen. Rated M for contents of assault, attempted rape and a suicide.
1. The Assault

Stalking his prey, he has watched from afar until he had decided that the timing was now right to make her _his_. He was just a face in the colony; a person that she said hello to every time she passed him, never knowing the thoughts that plagued him whenever she was near. He waits until dusk for the strike, when she's heading for the Major's tent, every night he has watched her enter his tent and he feels the anger rise until he could no longer contain himself and he'd go and box with the other marines in their tent. Making sure that he is well hidden he lays in wait for his prey to pass by him and he doesn't have to wait long, she passes humming a sweet tune completely oblivious to his presence, that is until his strong arms wrap around her pulling her into the trees that surround them. As he drags her backwards, he can feel her trying to get free, with one hand clamped over her mouth to keep her quiet and the other wrapped around her tiny waist he knows that he must stop soon to claim his prize as her absence would be noted quickly. Once near the clearing he had picked out for them, they can't be more than a few minutes from the colony, as he finally releases her from his grasp he realises his mistake as she screams several times. In an effort to silence her his lashes out, knocking her to the ground with a backhander to the face, when she got up, he struck again this time when she fell her face whitened as her leg broke beneath her and she crumpled into a heap and she gave a sob as the pain grew to be to much to bare.

Sat in his tent, Robert hears the screams "Katherine!" he whispers to himself and races out of the tent grabbing Mulroney as he passes, the young private, seeing the look on his superior's face knows that something has happened to McVitie. Running in the direction that they heard the screams they both pull up short not knowing which direction to head as the path is forked, just as they were deciding to split up to find her they heard a voice. "Do what I say whore and you'll get back to your dear Major when I'm finished with you and not a moment sooner. Understand."

Creeping towards the sounds they could hear in front of them, low to the ground and keeping their movement to a minimum, they both stopped short as the scene came into sharp focus, Katherine struggling in a marine's grip, as he crouches over her, her dress ripped and hanging off her shoulders and then came the most shocking event yet as Katherine almost managed to get free the marine turned and grabbed her arm and yanked her back to him and there was a sickening crack as her arm broke and then she curled into a foetal position on the ground almost devoid of emotion as if she had resigned herself to what was about to happen.

"Or she could just leave now! How dare you Hurst, how dare you try this on! You know the stakes" Robert growled the venom in his voice unmistakable. "Mulroney, bind his hand and throw him in the brig, I'll deal with him in the morning, when I've calmed down or I'll kill him here and now." As the marine was dragged away shouting expletives back to the colony, Robert only had eyes for Katherine who was shaking on the ground and trying to cover herself up the best that she could, he knew what the bastard had tried to do to her and it made his blood boil; he knelt down to her and without preamble he pulled her gently into his arms and held her while she sobbed into his shoulder glad that she was allowing him to touch her; once she'd pulled away wiping her eyes and giving him a small weak, watery smile, he helped her up and steadied her while she gained her balance on one leg. Taking off his coat, he slipped it over her shoulders, feeling slightly better when her form was fully concealed from prying eyes he lifted her easily into his arms and carried her back to the colony and his tent, where he was pleased to see Mulroney had returned to his station outside his tent. Placing Katherine on the bed and walked to the tent flap "Private, can you get Mrs. Johnson to come to my tent please with an old dress and don't mention what this is regarding" as Michael Mulroney nodded and walked off to the reverend's tent, Robert glanced up into the face of Joseph Reynolds, his expression hard he averted his eyes from the tent and the Major as he walked back to the tent that he now shared alone with some of the other soldiers.

"Major Ross, Sir, Mrs. Johnson is here for you, Sir." Mulroney's voice broke through Robert's musings as he paced the width of his bed, his eyes never leaving the slumbering form Kitty. A sigh slipped passed his closed lips before he could stop himself, turning once more to face the tent opening he steeled himself for what was about to happen. Mary gasped as she took in the sight before her, turning her horror filled face towards Ross she whispered. "Who did this?" she shot him an accusatory stare and then looked ashamed as her features softened as she realised that although he was an unkind gentlemen towards the majority of the convicts, he would never do this.

"He is currently in the lock-up and he was a marine under my command, I am shocked and horrified that this has happened and am deeply sorry that it was Katherine that was attacked by this monster. Please see what you can do for her and if you need any assistance please ask Mulroney to fetch whoever or whatever you need, I need to brief Governor Phillip on what has happened this night." With that he left the tent and made his way to the governor's hut, though his mind and his heart remained in the tent he vacated.

Philip and Collins were deep in conversation when Ross knocked on the door. Once Deborah had made sure that they had everything that they needed she took her leave.

"Ah Ross," Phillip started "I understand that there was some sort of disturbance this evening, please report what happened."

Robert took a deep breath and recalled what had transpired in the last hour or so, leaving nothing out, once he'd finished he scrubbed a calloused hand over his face and sighed deeply.

"I see, what would you suggest happens to this man?" Collins asked gravely, finishing his notes to add to the files he keeps on everyone.

The three were silent for a long while all consumed with thought, Ross seemed to be asleep his head bowed, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow, Phillip cleared his throat. "What to do with them both I think is the question in hand Captain Collins"

Ross's eyes flew open and he raised his head to look at the pair of them across the table "Both?" he asked a question in his voice and his face and eyes hardened "you can not seriously be considering punishing McVitie for anything that happened this evening!" his voice hard.

Phillip looked puzzled for a moment and then he realised that both he and Collins hadn't informed Ross of what else had occurred that night.


	2. The Verdicts

The door to the brig banged open and the two men inside visibly jumped at the sound and the occupant in the left cell scurried back as soon as Major Ross entered the building and slammed the door behind him.

"Barrett, on your feet" Ross barked.

Tommy obeyed but was clearly anxious as this was the time that his fate would be decided. As he was lead to the governor's hut along with two guards Elizabeth silently joined them and took her place beside him as he stood before Major Ross, Captain Collins and Governor Phillip.

"Barrett, you have attacked and seriously injured Private Buckley, you are aware of the consequences, yes?" Phillip asks his voice grave but his face giving nothing away to the outcome of the meeting.

"Yes, Boss" Tommy replied grasping Elizabeth's hand as she placed it in his and taking strength from the small gesture.

"Major Ross, what would you suggest the appropriate punishment should be now you've had the night to think about it?" Phillip asked the silent man on his left.

"Has Buckley given a statement yet?" Ross asked keeping his eyes on the couple in front of him.

"Yes, he has and he would like for you to see him after you give your verdict." Captain Collins answered the question as he himself had been to take the statement from the young solider and was hopeful that he could change Roberts' mind once he'd spoken the words that were about to be uttered.

"Hang him, make this a statement that none have the right to beat a solider to a pulp and get away with no punishment or there will be a rebellion." Ross said and stood making his remarks the final of the meeting. Watching the convict being lead out and Elizabeth stay behind looking at them all beseechingly hoping that there would be a change of mind, and when it was clear that there wouldn't be any she left looking as though she herself had just been given the death sentence.

Ross left the hut and walked straight to the infirmary to where the stricken Buckley lay with his face hardly recognisable.

"You have given judgement then, Sir?" Buckley mumbled watching as the Major took in his face and his injuries.

"Yes, I have, he is to hang, this needs to be a message, that if anyone attacks a soldier they will hang." Ross replied taking a seat beside the invalid.

"Yes, Sir, I understand that, Sir but I beg please reprieve him, I provoked him and deserved this, I bragged that I shagged Elizabeth before they were married and that she kept that information from him, and if she kept that from him what else is she hiding from him." Buckley pleaded his one good eye on the Major.

"I shall not back down from this they need to learn, we are already one marine down and I will not allow this weakness to be our undoing." Ross stated his mind suddenly going back to the woman in his tent and a thought struck him. "Buckley, you wouldn't happen to know where MacDonald keeps his willow-bark, would you? It looks as though you are in need of some." Ross gave a small smile as the Private gave a small chuckle and then winced.

"It's normally in a small canvas sack, underneath his bunk behind his effects." Buckley replied allowing a small amount of hope to enter him, perhaps Ross wasn't as bad as they all made him out to be there was compassion there but he kept it hidden until he needed to show it or allowed it to show.

Ross nodded and left the medical tent in search for the bark, he knew when he entered the soldier's tent that it would be empty it was almost time for the convicts to line to get their food so all the soldiers would be occupied. Walking swiftly to the curtain that Katherine would frequently hide away from him and pulling it aside, he knelt down moved MacDonald's effects and reached for the canvas bag, placed the effects back where he found it, stood and left the tent. He intended to head towards the infirmary but his feet found their way to his tent. He took a breath before entering the tent, he couldn't stomach seeing Katherine in pain from that monster and realising that he had yet to pass judgement on the marine, he decided that he would ask Katherine what would be the right thing to do, as the decision would effect her and only her. He sat beside her and was pleased that she was sitting up and had more colour to her face. Her face lit up when she looked at him but he could still see the pain in her eyes.

"Katherine, what would you like to happen the scum that did this?" he asked softly, as soon as the question left his lips, he instantly regretted it as her face seemed to lose the spark that it had when he came into the tent.

"I want him dead!" she replied with such conviction that it scared him. She seemed to realise what her words had done and reached for his hand and once he had looked at her she smiled and added "I don't want to see him, and I don't want anyone else to go through what I have been through." he nodded and kissed her forehead.

As he turned to go he realised that he still held the willow bark in his hand, he turned to his desk and placed some bark in a bowl and returned to the bed to hand her the bowl.

"This will help ease the pain, it is willow bark. I must take some to Buckley to help ease his pain too." At her questioning look he filled her in on what had happened.

"What will happen to Tommy?" she asked her voice almost timid and her eyes downcast.

"He is to hang, we need to keep up the morale of the soldiers as Buckley will carry his injuries and everyone will see them and think that if they do the same there will be no punishment or consequences." Ross said matter-of-factly.

"Surely, there is an alternative way to punish him; I know that he is banished here for the rest of his life as is Elizabeth, so there is little that you can do to him, though I would think that keeping them apart for a period of time would be suitable, but that would need to be enforced, though that is just a suggestion and I hope that you didn't think it forward of me."

"No, not at all, though I have passed judgement, though I can change my mind as it has not been decided when it will take place." Ross said softly and once again, kissing her forehead and smiled when he turned to leave the tent and Mrs. Johnson and the Reverend came in, to re dress the wounds and check on the fractures.

Upon re-entering the infirmary he saw that Governor Phillip was sat beside the Private and talking quietly, Ross came over to the bed and passed the now lighter bag of willow bark to Buckley with a small nod to the invalid he left the tent and started on his afternoon patrol with Mulroney and a reluctant MacDonald. As night began to fall the three soldiers parted company, MacDonald headed without preamble to the lower ranked tent that had Timmins as the authority and Ross and Mulroney to the other tent that contained the other soldiers of higher rank and their batmen as Katherine needed space to heal and at present didn't want him to see her in what she called 'her broken state'.

The stillness of the night was rent by several screams, when Ross had left the tent in search of the source it seemed that the whole colony was out and doing the same, though unlike him, he knew where the sound had originated from – his tent and his Katherine. As he approached his tent Mary was hurrying towards it too, but instead of going in first he knew that a night terror had taken hold and that his mere presence may trigger an even worse response or halt her recovery altogether. He waited for what seemed like an age with his back to the tent and eyes focused upon a fallen log by the brassier; and only when Mary held the tent flaps open for him and lightly touched his arm did he finally allow himself to look at the tent.


End file.
